Art Resolve’s annual lunch and art talk by member Richard Clark at the The Angel Inn, Stoke-by-Nayland

The Angel Inn, Stoke-by-Nayland was the perfect location for the Art Resolve annual lunch. Not only does it provide exceptional food and service in a delightful location, The Angel Inn has a close link with John Constable who lived a few miles away and is believed to have visited The Angel when drawing and painting the church of St Mary’s in the village. 

In addition, The Angel Inn has an exceptional art collection including some important old master paintings and drawings as well as a wonderful post war and modern British collection.  

Among the old master paintings is a wonderful portrait of Cosimo d’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany by the studio of Bronzino and painted around 1569 in Florence. After a splendid lunch, one of our mediators, Richard Clark, gave a short lecture on the painting and the group discussed Bronzino, the Medici as well as the art history, context and process of attribution.  The work is a stunning example of mid sixteenth century Florentine portrait painting as can be seen from these images.  

Another important old master painting is the rare portrait of Sir Philip Sidney by the Master of the Countess of Warwick which dates from around 1570. 

The post war and modern British works on display include a wonderful selection on gouache works by Trevor Bell from the 1960s as well as works by St Ives school artists such as Peter Lanyon and Roger Hilton. There are also several beautiful gouache drawings by Graham Sutherland including two Ages of Man works.